Focal plane arrays (FPAs) that detect IR radiation (e.g., thermal IR radiation) are used by IR cameras to provide thermal IR images. For example, thermal IR radiation passing through an optical path of an IR camera is received by IR detectors of the FPA, which provide image data for pixels of thermal IR images.
For a scene with large temperature variations, it may be impossible to capture the full span of the high intra-scene temperature range with a single exposure of an IR camera. If the IR camera is optimized for lower irradiance, the high irradiance areas (e.g., the hottest areas) will often be saturated. If the IR camera is optimized for higher irradiance, the low irradiance areas (e.g., the cooler areas) may become noisy and appear black.
For a particular IR camera and expected temperature range, imaging may be optimized by adjusting the camera to an optimal shutter speed or integration time. However, it may not be possible to fully encompass a scene's temperature variations using a single integration time.